Will Alpha’s vegan nuggets turn non-vegans on to a plant-based diet?
Meatless meat knows no bounds these days.
Beyond Meat contains proteins such as peas, mung beans and brown rice, fats from cocoa butter, carbohydrates from potato starch and natural flavourings. Impossible Foods banks on a special ingredient called heme to make it the “meat that bleeds”. Omnipork uses non-GMO soy and is like pork in texture and taste.
The latest product to land in Hong Kong is the Alpha Foods Nugget Original Chick’n, a plant-based alternative to McNuggets. Alpha’s Original Chick’n nugget is available in Hong Kong through Green Common and Kind Kitchen, although it has sold out on the website at present.
Cole Orobetz, chief operating officer and co-founder of Alpha Foods, is excited about introducing this close-to-chicken-meat texture after a successful launch in the United States. We spoke to him while he was in Hong Kong.
“The proteins we’ve developed are made with a blend of non-GMO soy bean and wheat to create the perfect meat-like texture and taste with no off-flavours,” says Orobetz.
“We learned from our years of working with plant-based proteins [and it has] been clear that this is the best combination of plant proteins for the widest appeal.”
All of Alpha Foods’ products are free of any animal products (including dairy), artificial preservatives and flavours.
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“Taste, texture and convenience will win the hearts and minds of all consumers – carnivores and vegans alike. Some options may not be relatable to consumers because of advancements in science and tech, but innovators will continue to push boundaries of what is possible with plant-based proteins,” Orobetz says.
“Growing up in Calgary, Canada, I ate animal products every day of my life and had never heard of plant-based meat before. About seven years ago, I started reducing my meat consumption for health reasons, but could not find anything plant-based that was exciting to eat.”
“Before Alpha officially started in 2016, Loren, a 36-year-old vegan, sent me a product sample of a vegan bagel dog to gauge my interest and see if I would enjoy it. I threw it in my freezer and didn’t think about it again until a cold winter blizzard hit my city and I could not get out of the house for food.
“I decided to try this product and it was absolutely delicious. I knew that if this could get me excited about eating plant-based, there would be millions of other people around the world who could enjoy the same experience. That was one of the defining moments behind how Alpha started.”
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“Alpha’s products are delicious replicas of our favourite comfort foods, and are healthier than the meat/dairy product alternatives; if people can’t tell the difference between our products and the animal-based version, then we’ve made a positive impact on the food system.
“All people enjoy food that is indulgent and fun, so we want to create that experience with all plant-based products.”
Gimmick or not, one thing is clear: this would make the plant-based or vegan diet a lot easier to maintain, and much more interesting – as a fellow vegan, I do find the resemblance to meat uncanny, but it is a nice sort of thing to have once in a while when one is feeling nostalgic.
Research has also shown that as people cut down on meat consumption, it will help to raise awareness of animal welfare, reduce harmful emissions; most of all, this means that healthier lifestyle choices would lead to better health – leading physician and The New York Times bestselling author and international speaker Dr Michael Greger states on his website, “Only one way of eating has ever been proven to reverse heart disease in the majority of patients: a diet centered around whole plant foods.
“If that’s all a whole-food, plant-based diet could do – reverse our number-one killer – shouldn’t that be the default diet until proven otherwise?”
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